Specialist - Project Planning & Integration
Vale · Canada · CA$112,800 (stated in the posting)
Who We Are
We are a global mining company dedicated to safely delivering nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum group metals essential for the world’s energy transition.
Our mission is to improve lives and shape a better future together.
From utensils to cellphones to satellites, our operations simplify daily life and enhance connectivity. Our metals are integral to life-saving medical equipment and the electric vehicles driving the fight against climate change – our work truly matters.
Join our diverse team of 15,000 talented individuals committed to transforming critical minerals into prosperity and sustainable development in countries like Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and Japan. We invite you to use your skills with us and contribute to something meaningful and enduring.
The Opportunity
We are seeking a Specialist – Project Planning & Integration - to join our VBM / CTO / Studies / Project Controls team at Sudbury, Ontario.
This is a permanent position reporting to the Sr. Manager, Project Controls - Canada and supporting Vale Base Metals' Canadian studies portfolio. The role is responsible for planning and scheduling across multiple studies and projects, ensuring the development, integration, and governance of study schedules and project execution schedules throughout the project lifecycle. As the planning discipline lead for the Canadian studies portfolio, the successful candidate will ensure that project schedules are fully integrated with estimating, risk management, cost control, change management, and performance management processes. This role also serves as a key planning advisor to Canadian Operations by providing independent schedule reviews, technical support, and planning capability development across the organization.
About You
You are an experienced planning and scheduling professional with a strong background supporting complex capital projects within mining, metals, energy, infrastructure, or other asset-intensive industries. You are skilled at translating technical scope, execution strategies, procurement requirements, construction sequencing, and operational readiness activities into realistic and achievable schedules.
You thrive in environments where schedule integrity, project governance, and effective decision-making are critical to success. Your ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, challenge assumptions constructively, and provide schedule-driven insights allows you to influence project outcomes and improve delivery certainty.
In this role, you will:
Planning and Scheduling for Studies
- Develop, maintain, and govern integrated study schedules for Canadian PEA, PFS, and FS projects.
- Establish schedule frameworks, work breakdown structures (WBS), milestones, logic networks, schedule assumptions, and critical path methodologies aligned with Vale standards.
- Validate schedules prepared by engineering consultants and EPCM contractors to ensure logic integrity, realistic durations, resource assumptions, and alignment with project execution strategies.
- Perform schedule quality assessments, critical path analysis, float analysis, scenario planning, and schedule optimization reviews.
- Develop Basis of Schedule documentation and maintain schedule governance throughout study lifecycles.
- Lead schedule reviews and provide schedule recommendations supporting phase-gate and investment decision processes.
Development of Project Execution Schedules
- Develop and maintain project execution schedules covering engineering, procurement, contracting, construction, commissioning, and ramp-up phases.
- Collaborate closely with engineering, procurement, contracts, construction, HSE, permitting, operations readiness, and commissioning teams to create credible and executable schedules.
- Integrate execution strategies, contracting approaches, long-lead procurement requirements, construction sequencing, and site constraints within schedule logic.
- Evaluate alternative execution scenarios and scheduling strategies to support study recommendations and project planning decisions.
- Establish Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 schedule hierarchies and milestone frameworks supporting project governance and execution readiness.
Progress Measurement and Performance Reporting
- Establish project progress measurement systems and reporting methodologies.
- Monitor schedule performance, update schedules regularly, identify variances, and forecast project completion dates.
- Develop schedule dashboards, milestone reports, portfolio summaries, resource demand forecasts, and schedule performance analyses.
- Identify emerging schedule risks and opportunities and recommend mitigation or recovery actions.
- Maintain auditable records of schedule baselines, updates, assumptions, forecasts, and revisions
Integrated Project Controls
- Ensure schedules are fully integrated with estimating, risk management, cost control, change management, and performance management disciplines.
- Partner with the Sr. Specialist, Estimating & Cost Control to develop integrated project baselines, cost-loaded schedules, and cash flow forecasts.
- Support schedule risk analysis activities by working closely with the Sr. Specialist, Project Risk Management to identify schedule uncertainty, model risk events, and establish schedule contingencies.
- Ensure approved scope, cost, schedule, and risk changes are appropriately reflected within project baselines.
- Support integrated reporting of schedule, cost, and risk performance to provide a consistent project controls framework.
Standards and Continuous Improvement
- Maintain planning standards, templates, procedures, and Primavera P6 governance structures for Canadian projects.
- Develop and maintain schedule benchmarking databases and historical planning information to improve future project planning.
- Support implementation of digital tools, automation initiatives, Power BI reporting solutions, and emerging technologies that improve planning effectiveness.
- Collaborate with global project controls teams to align planning methodologies, standards, and best practices.
- Manage external planning consultants and support providers, ensuring quality, consistency, and value delivery.
Experience
- Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in project planning, scheduling, project controls, or capital project delivery.
- Extensive experience supporting large and complex capital projects within mining, metals, energy, infrastructure, industrial, or construction environments.
- Proven experience supporting studies and project development phases including PEA, PFS, FS, detailed engineering, construction, and commissioning.
- Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining integrated project schedules using Primavera P6.
- Experience conducting schedule quality reviews, critical path analysis, scenario planning, schedule recovery analysis, and forecasting.
- Experience supporting project governance reviews, investment decisions, and stage-gate processes.
- Experience working with engineering consultants, EPCM contractors, owners' teams, and operations stakeholders.
Education
- Undergraduate Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, Business, or a related technical discipline.
- Postgraduate qualification in Project Management, Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline is considered an asset.
Skills & Competencies
- Expert proficiency in project planning, including schedule development, WBS structures, coding systems, resource and cost loading, baselining, reporting, and contractor schedule integration.
- Strong knowledge of project controls disciplines, including planning, estimating, cost control, risk management, performance management, and change control.
- Understanding of AACE planning and scheduling recommended practices, PMI methodologies, and capital project governance frameworks.
- Experience performing schedule quality assessments, critical path analysis, float analysis, and schedule risk assessments.
- Strong understanding of engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and operational readiness processes.
- Knowledge of mining, processing, infrastructure, and brownfield project environments.
- Proficiency in Primavera P6, Power BI, Excel, and project reporting tools.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-support capabilities.
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to challenge assumptions constructively while maintaining collaborative working relationships.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to support multiple concurrent studies and projects.
- Familiarity with automation, data analytics, and AI-enabled project controls solutions is considered an asset.
What We Offer You
- Competitive compensation including a variable annual incentive plan
- Participation in a competitive Defined Contribution Pension package
- Comprehensive benefits package (company paid core coverage, health and dental coverage, flex accounts, disability plans, and optional insurances)
- Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation, personal, sick, parental)
- Work culture dedicated to safety, diversity & inclusion, and career growth
- Employee Family Assistance Program
- Virtual Healthcare online
- Online training and career development opportunities
Why Sudbury
Sudbury is one of Canada's premier mining centres and a global leader in mining innovation, technology, and sustainability. Home to world-class mining operations and a highly skilled workforce, Sudbury provides unique opportunities to work on industry-leading projects that support the growing demand for critical minerals worldwide. Working in Sudbury offers access to excellent outdoor recreation, strong community connections, and a high quality of life while contributing to the future of responsible resource development and the global energy transition.
Include to Transform
At Vale Base Metals, we are committed to ensuring an inclusive work environment where people feel comfortable to be themselves. Vale encourages everyone to express their ideas and opinions and values the plurality of individual profiles. We want our people to feel that all.
We want our people to feel that all voices are heard, all cultures respected and that a variety of perspectives are not only welcome – they are critical to our success. We treat each other
fairly and with dignity regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, or any other personal consideration that makes us different.
Vale is an equal opportunity employer seeking to increase diversity across our operations and improve equal opportunity at Vale and in the mining industry.
Accommodation is available throughout our recruitment process for applicants with disabilities.
Vale uses artificial intelligence to screen, assess, and/or select applicants for this position.
Pay Grade: F3T
Minimum Starting Salary: CAD 112,800
Apply by: 30th Oct 2026